Improvement in hydraulic mains for gas-works



'F. A. YSABBATON. HYDRAULIC MAINS FOR GAS WORKS.

Patented July 11, 1876.

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NI'ILE TATES FREDERICK A. SABBATON, OF TROY, NEW YORK.-

Specification forming part of Letters PatentNo.

I 79,668, dated July 11, 1876; application filed March 13, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FREDERICK A. SABBA- TON, of the city of Troy, in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have invented c'ertain Improvements in Hydraulic Mains for Gas-Works, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure l is aside elevation, partly in sec- .tion, of an end portion of a hydraulic main for .and at the same timeautoinatica-lly maintaining the liquidsat a uniform assigned height in respect to the sealing ends of the gas-inlet dip-pipes in the hydraulic main, however diii'ercut or variable may be the pressure of the gas .in the hydraulic main.

In theaforesaid drawing, A represents a part of the hydraulic main of an ordinary gasworks. Each dip-pipe, B, therein has its loweror sealing end notched, grooved, or fluted, so

as to form a horizontal series of separate lateral passages, c, of any suitable size and shape, for the escape of the gas in a series of small streams from and around each dip-pipe, and below the level of the top Z of the-liquid in the hydraulic main. -I intend to make the above-described construction of the lower ends of the dip-pipes, in combination with the retorts and hydraulic main of a gas-works, the

suhjectof another application. D is a pipe forconducting the gas from the chamber A.

The liquids in the hydraulic main consist,

-.principally, of tar, ammonia-water, light oils,

and some other matters distilled with the gas from the coal or other gas producing material.

The tar is of greater specific gravity than the water, and settles to the bottom, and the light oils float at the top. The surplus liquid is ,commonly drawn oil by an outlet-pipe, located at the height at which the liquid is to be maintained over the ends of the dip-pipes, so that the lighter oils and liquids are first discharged, leaving the heavier tar to settle to the bottom and there thicken and accumulate to or above the lower ends of the dip-pipes, so as to more or less obstruct the delivery of the gas from those pipes and produce injurious back pressure in the retorts. If the liquids were drawn off from the bottom only of the hydraulic main, so as to discharge the tar andleave the lighter liquids and oils, the back pressure on the retorts would be lessened, and the gas might be more enriched and purified by rising from the dip pipes through such lighter oils and liquids.

Devices have been heretofore proposed for drawing the liquid from the lower portion of the hydraulic main by means of a passage rising from the bottom part of the main to the height at which the liquid was to be maintained in the main, and with or without a gate or valve at the top, whereby a person could alter that height. But in such cases the height of the liquid in the hydraulic main and abovethe ends of the dip-pipes therein was considerably greater whenever the rising discharge-passage was filled with and was discharging theheavy tar than when thatpassage was tilled by and was'delivering the lighter ammonia-water, as would often occur in practice; and in some such cases an increase in the pressure of the gas in the hydraulic main--as from the stoppage or tardy action of the exhausterwould force out the liquid to below the proper level, and, perhaps, entirely unseal thedip-pipes.

To obviate those defects have a dischargepassage leading from the lower part of the liquid in the hydraulic main, and furnished with a valve that is connected to a float, which is in, and supported by the liquid'in the hy-, draulic main, or, preferably, in a supplemental chan1ber communicating by a narrow passage or passages with the gas and liquid in the hydraulic main, so that as the liquid in the hydraulicmain shall be increased in quantity, the float will be thereby raised, and will, consequently, open the valve and letout a corresponding quantity of the lower portion only of the liquid, and thereby automatically maintain the liquid at a uniform height in respect to the dip'pipe or dip-pipes in the hydraulic main, whatever shall be the variations in the pressure of the gas therein upon the liquid.

In the aforesaid drawing, an outlet-passage for liquids leads from the bottom part of the constantly left therein.

hydraulic main A through the pipe E into the pipe Gr adjustable by screwing or sliding endlower part ofa closed chamber, F, and thence by a pipe, G, to a tar-well or any other suitable receptacle. The upper portion of the interior of the chamber F is above the level of the surface of theliquid in the hydraulic main,

and has communication by a pipe, H, with the gas-space over the liquid in the hydraulic main, so that the gaseous pressure in the upper portion of the chamber F shall be the same as in the hydraulic main, and so that the liquid in the hydraulic main and in the chamber F shall constantly counterbalance each other. M is a pipe leading from the upper portion of theliquid in the hydraulic main A into the upper part of the liquid in the chamber F, so that the liquid above the discharge-pipe Gin the chamber F shall always be of substantially the same quality and specific gravity, and shall, consequently, stand at substantially the same height as the liquid in the hydraulic main; or the same result may be secured by having one deep narrow passage in the place of the two pipes H and M, or M and E, or in the place of the three pipes E, M, and H.

On the upper end of the pipe G, and in the lower portion of the chamber F, is a valveseat, l,(shown on a larger scale in Figs.3 and 4,) and a valve, J, fitted to the seat, and secured upon or to an endwise-movable rod, is, to which is fastened a float, L, at such a height that when the liquid in the hydraulic main shall be at the assigned height in respect to the lower ends of the dip-pipes B, the float L will then be almost entirely supported by the liquid in the chamber F, and will then just close the valve J against its seat I, and thereby prevent the escape of any of the liquid, and so that as more liquid shall be distilled, and thereby added to the liquid in the hydraulic main and chamber F, the float L will be thereby raised, so as to open the valve J just enough to let the surplus liquid escape from the bottom part only, and thus maintain the liquid at the assigned height in the hydraulic main, whatever variations shall occur in the pressure of the gas therein, and so that the tar and heaviest liquids shall be drawn from the hydraulic main as fast as produced, and that the lighter liquids and oils shall be The valve J should have a narrow bearing against its seat I, to insure the sensitive opening and closing of the valve by the float.

In order that the liquid may at different times be maintained at diflerent assigned heights in respect to the sealing ends of the dip-pipes in the hydraulic main, I make the float L adjustable, so that it can be fastened at different heights upon the rod 70 by means of a set-screw, n, whenever the detachable cover 0 of the chamber F shall be temporarily removed. I also contemplate securing the same object by having the valve J similarly. adjustable on the rod 70 at different distances from the float, or by having the dischargewise through the bottom 19 of the chamber F, so that the valve-seat I, valve J, and float L can be thereby set at different heights in that chamber.

Q is a pipe, which is to be kept closed by a plug or cock, 1", except while accumulated sediment is being drawn from the lowest portion of the chamber F. Each of the pipes H M E has, by preference, a stop-cock, s t u, and is to be kept open in use, except when the cap 0 is to be temporarily removed from the chamber F in adjusting the float, or when the liquid is to be drawn out of that chamber without escape of gas or liquid from the hydraulic main. The pipe Gr may also have a cock, c, by which that pipe may be temporarily closed.

Instead of having the float L, rod 70, valve J, and seat I in the chamber F, they may be applied to the discharge-pipe E in the hydraulic main .A, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig 2; but I commonly prefer to have them in a supplemental chamber'connected with the hydraulic main, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, in order to prevent or lessen the agitation of the float by the .gas issuing through the liquid from the dip-pipes, and for greater convenience in applying the same in connection with hydraulic mains, as heretofore com monly constructed and already in use.

Whenever the supplemental chamber F shall be dispensed with, and the connected valve and float shall be arrangedin the main chamber A, and in connection with a valveseat on the top of the pipe E, that pipe may be made adjustable endwise, so as to set the valve-seat, valve, and float higher or lower; or, by having a suitable hand-hole in the cas ing of the chamber A, the float can be adjusted on its stem by a set-screw to different heights above the valve, so that the float and valve can be thereby made to keep the liquid at any suitable diiferent heights in the main chamber, under either equal or different pressures of the gas therein.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In combination with a chamber having therein a gas-inlet dip-pipe, arranged to be sealed by liquid of varying specific gravity, and to which more is being added, an outletpassage, valve, and float, to discharge only the lower and heavier portion of the liquid, and thereby maintain theliqnid at a uniform height in respect to the sealing end of the dippipe, undervarying pressure of the gas upon the liquid in the chamber, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a chamber having therein a gas-inlet dip-pipe, arranged to be sealed by liquid of variable specific gravity, and to which more is being added, an outletpassage, valve, and float, made adjustable, substantially as hereinbefore described, so that while only the lower portion of the liquid shall be discharged, the device can be readily adjusted to maintain the liquid at different heights in respect to the dip-pipe, under either uniform or different pressures of the gas in the chamber.

3. The combination, with a main chamber, A, having therein a dip-pipe, B, arranged to be sealed by liquid of varying specific gravity, and to which more is being added, of a float, L, valve J, and outlet-passage G, in a supplemental chamber, F, having communication with the main chamber by the passages E M H, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses this 7th day of March, 1876.

FREDERICK A. SABBATON. Witnesses:

JOHN J. RAFFERTY, AUSTIN F. PARK. 

